Dronefication of the Tula region and neighbouring regions: new standards and interregional cooperation

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On 16 September, as part of the Days of the Tula Region at the exposition "Region-2030. Platform of the Future" at the National Centre RUSSIA, a panel session was held dedicated to the interregional project "Dronefication" of the Tula, Kaluga, Ryazan regions and the Moscow region. Representatives of federal and regional authorities and support institutions, experts in the field of unmanned aviation development, developers of technological and software solutions, and leading manufacturers discussed the development of unmanned aerial systems, measures to ensure their safe operation, and other industry issues. 

The key challenges and prospects of the project were outlined by Mikhail Panteleyev, First Deputy Governor of the Tula Region and Chairman of the Regional Government. He emphasised the need for a comprehensive approach — from creating production infrastructure to ensuring full autonomy and safety of unmanned systems — while highlighting the importance of maintaining a balance between civil and defence developments. 

"Much attention is currently being paid both at the federal and regional levels to dronefication in the regions. Everyone knows that we are creating 26 research and production centres that will be the drivers of this industry’s development. This is already a major national project. We have received federal funding of 700 million roubles, equipment is being purchased, and by December we plan to complete the entire process. Next, it is important to find residents and help them find applications for their products. If residents receive orders, the research and production centre will also receive orders. Attention must also be given to transport infrastructure and transport safety as a whole," said Mikhail Panteleyev.

An important aspect of the session was the discussion of seamless use of unmanned systems across different constituent entities of the Russian Federation. 

"Having analysed the strengths and weaknesses of the Tula region in working with civil drones, we realised that our disadvantages — for example, the closure of nearly half of the airspace — can be turned into advantages by learning to use drones correctly in civil sectors. However, this must involve a unified system or federal standards. The system should work seamlessly and universally, not differently in each region, so that all routes and tasks can be performed. This cannot be implemented without the participation of neighbouring and partner regions. But I am convinced that we will be able to create an interregional working group that will make all these mechanisms a reality," said Pavel Tatarenko, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Tula Region. 

Eduard Voitovsky, Head of the Directorate for Flight Radio-technical Support and Aeronautical Telecommunications at the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia), focused in detail on flight safety issues. Denis Ovchinnikov, Head of the Centre for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Registration at the State ATM Corporation, presented data on the number of flights, noting an increase in flight requests this year, and also spoke about the development and improvement of the digital platform for submitting flight plans.

Technical solutions were presented by Sergei Kukarev, Project Manager for Aviation and Drones at GLONASS JSC, Nikita Danilov, Director of Fly Dron LLC, Andrei Tikhonov, President of the Trusted Platform Association, and others.

The Days of the Tula Region at the exposition "Region-2030. Platform of the Future" at the National Centre RUSSIA are being held from 16 to 21 September. The programme of the themed week includes an open dialogue with federal experts on the implementation of the region’s development strategy, a presentation of investment and tourism potential, lectures, workshops, cultural and gastronomic events, and activities for children and young people.